Enter La Chinantla, Oaxaca Textile Traditions

Enter La Chinantla, Oaxaca
Textile Traditions
Chinantla, Tehuacan & Oaxaca
October 19-28, 2014
Trip Highlights
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Learn of Indigenous Textile Traditions of the Chinantecos &
Mazatecos of Oaxaca
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Meet weavers & coops in remote
communities of Valle Nacional,
Ojitlan, Usila, Ixcatlan, Soyaltepec
in Chinantla & the Papaloapan.
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Explore the Tehuacan Bio Reserve
and meet the Mixteco Palm Weavers
and Burnished Potter Masters of
Reyes Mezontla.
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Experience "Caldo de Piedra" River
Stone Soup!
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Purchase collection quality textiles
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Meet weavers and dyers from Teotitlan del Valle who continue to
develop their ancient traditions
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Learn of the History of Cochineal
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Take a Guided Tour of the Museo
Textil de Oaxaca
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Explore Ancient Zapotec and Mixtec sites of Mitla and Monte Alban
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Visit Tlapanochestli to learn
about R & D & efforts to produce
& market cochineal
This trip is an extraordinary journey into a region rarely visited in Oaxaca's Papaloapan
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Basin. The Papaloapan is a cultural / natural region located between Veracruz and Oaxaca and is where the coastal plain begins dropping off from the Sierra Juarez mountain chain leading to the Gulf of Mexico. The natural landscape is varied, between lush 
tropical (think mangoes and pineapples) to higher elevations where coffee grows and
deciduous forests begin. The cultural landscape of this region is comprised of Chinanteco and Mazateco communities that we will be visiting. Some of them include: Valle
Nacional, Ojitlan, Usila, Ixcatlan and Soyaltepec. Their textile traditions are among the
richest in Mexico, combining unique iconography in woven and embroidered cloth to
make huipiles. This trip also goes to the fascinating region of Tehuacan, Puebla where
we will meet with the Mixteco palm weavers, venture into the Valley of Tehuacan and
visit the famed potters of Reyes Mezontla. Our journey culminates in one of our favor-
Trip Includes:
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Accommodations
Expert Guides and/or Academics
Comfortable / Secure Transportation
Welcome and Farewell Dinners
Breakfasts
Meals according to itinerary
Water on Van/Coach
Airport Transfers
Entry Fees
Eat delicious regional Oaxacan
cuisine
Visit shops, coops & markets in
Oaxaca!
Oct. 18, Sat. Please arrive in Veracruz one day before tour begins! We will arrange transfer and hotel!
Oct. 19, Sun. Day One: Sunday,Transfer to Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. We will transfer you from Veracruz to Tuxtepec, a two hour drive that takes us
through Veracruz’s Sotavento region, crossing into Oaxaca. En route, we will stop in Alvarado, Veracruz to see this important port and shrimp capital
of Mexico. Then, we will go to the UNESCO town of Tlacotalpan on the shores of the Papaloapan River. Here, we will learn about the "son jarocho"
music and will enjoy an "arroz a la tumbada, a famous dish in Veracruz and Mexico's answer to paella! Arriving in Tuxtepec, we check into our hotel,
El Gran Hotel Tuxtepec, to freshen up prior to our exciting and colorful evening welcome event! Welcome Event: we will receive our first introduction to La Chinantla. Events for this night include: Fashion show of “traje regional” from the primary Chinanteco and Mazateco regions of Oaxaca’s
La Chinantla. Communities r epr esented include Usila, Ojitlan, Valle Nacional, of the Chinanteco and Mazateco communities such as Jalapa
de Diaz, Ayautla, Huautla de Jimenez, San Pedro Ixcatlan and Soyaltepec. We will lear n about dr ess as a cultur al identifier and see ver sons
of “daily”, “semi-gala” and “gala” dress from the same community. This orientation will help us prior to our journey deep into some of these communities to meet the weavers! A “tasting” of regional foods, to include the regional version of mole, Amarillo, tamales, plantains, mojara fish and other
delicacies. We will experience more of these dishes and ingredients throughout our journey! Overnight: Gran Hotel Tuxtepec. (L,D)
Oct. 20, Mon. Day Two: Monday, Travel to Valle Nacional and to the community of Rancho Grande.Today we meet the extraordinary community of
Rancho Grande, originally founded by individuals who left their homeland near Usila to found a new community. Today the small hamlet nestled in
the hills overlooking Valle Nacional consists of 40 families. While a small community, it remains very vibrant and they are dedicated to the preservation of their ancestral heritage. Here, they grow organic coffee (some of the best roasted coffee in Mexico), vanilla (remember, this region is near
Veracruz!), beans and maize. Their weavers and embroiderers are dedicated to preserving the ancient brocade (supplemental weft) technique that has
made their huipiles among the finest in all of Mexico. Arriving in Rancho Grande we will be met by members of the community and will visit their
community center for a culinary banquet, huipil and textile display! We’ll visit their coffee growing and processing region and we visit some of the
families in their homes. You will not want to leave! Returning to Tuxtepec, we rest and relax at our hotel. Overnight: Tuxtepec (B,L)
Oct. 21, Tues. Day Three: Tuesday, Ojitlan & Ixcatlan & Soyaltepec Today we venture deeper into La Chinantla. Our first stop is in Ojitlan, a vibrant
community with a bustling market and many weavers who maintain their traditions in weaving and dress. We will visit one particular coop that we
believe are among the best weavers in the region. We will have the opportunity to purchase huipiles of the Ojiltan style, including “diario” (daily),
“media-gala” and “gala. From Ojitlan, we travel briefly to Ixcatlan, where we will enjoy lunch of mojara (fish) and other delicacies from the region,
as we sit by the blue waters of the “presa” or dam. After lunch we visit some of the extraordinary embroiderers of the region, who will tell us about
their iconography of flowers, birds and the church bell that we see in town! We take a sunset boat ride across the lake (dam) to the now island
Mazatec community of Soyaltepec. Here, we will be met by the talented embroiderers of this community who will greet us with fresh hand made
tortillas, delicious beans and gorgeous huipiles masterfully embroidered on “manta” or muslin fabric. We will enjoy an expo venta of huipiles as we
watch the sunset. We overnight in Ixcatlan (B,L)
Oct. 22 Wednesday Day Four: Usila Today a true adventure is in store, as we go deep into La Chinantla by visiting Usila. Usila is a remote Chinanteco community of almost 10,000 people. Given its remoteness some of their cultural and ancestral traditions are maintained. However, some are
visibly at risk of disappearing. As in many communities, the younger women and girls are no longer wearing traditional garb, opting for jeans or gym
shorts instead. There are many factors that contribute to this: time to weave, cost of hand woven garments, outward migration, trends, among other
factors. Our morning begins with a mid morning “tasting” of delicious regional foods such as: mole Amarillo, tamales, tortillas de yucca among other
things. From here, we will walk in the neighborhood visiting a few select weavers we have identified to be among the best. Again, we will be able to
select from the rich iconography of the daily wear or the full gala huipil. Or, we might select just a weft strip to hand on our wall or one of the rebozo / shawl designs they are beginning to create! After we visit a few homes, we move to the central garden / courtyard where all of the weavers of the
community have been invited to show us their craft and art for a grand expo-venta! From here, we make our way to the Usila River for an extraordinary display and lunch of a regional delicacy that is made in very few places, and Usila is one of them: Caldo de Piedra, or Stone Soup! The special
white river stones are brought to high heat in a bonfire, and later placed into gourds filled with the soup ingredients (shrimp, fish, tomato, herbs, onion, garlic) in order to cook the soup! It is one of the ancient ways of cooking food. We are free to swim and frolic in the refreshing waters and enjoy
the stunning scenery of Rio Usila. Overnight Usila.(B, L)
Oct. 23 Day Five: Thursday, Usila to Tehuacan Today we leave the Chinantla r egion and make our way to Tehuacan. Ar r iving in Tehuacan
we relax at our garden and spa hotel, before a city tour and dinner in Tehuacan. Overnight Tehuacan (B, L, D)
Oct, 24, Day Six: Friday,Tehuacan-Oaxaca, This morning we visit the Museo del Agua wher e we will lear n about the r evival of amaranth.
Here, we enjoy an expo-venta of the fine palm weavers of this Mixteco land, and in San Gabriel Chilac we will visit have an expo venta of their beautiful blouses and huipiles of this region. Then we make our way to Oaxaca! Arriving in Oaxaca we will check into our hotel and then set out on foot
to visit the Museo Textil de Oaxaca. Evening is at leisure. (B, L)
Oct. 25 Day Seven: Saturday, Ocotlan, Southern Craft Route Today we visit the extraordinary Rodolfo Morales Museum, a former convent that was
lovingly restored by the Ocotlan, Oaxaca native, artist Rodolfo Morales. Traveling back towards Oaxaca City, we visit San Antonino to see the
charming and colorful floral embroidered blusas that were very popular in the sixties and seventies (remember peasant blouses? These are the good
ones!). One final stop is in Santo Tomas Jalieza to see fine backstrap woven cotton belts and bags. (B,L)
Oct. 26, Day Eight: Sunday, Mitla, Tlacolula Market, Teotitlan del Valle Traveling into Oaxaca’s Eastern Valley, or first stop is to visit the ancient
ruins of Mitla where we see the carved stoned frets known as grecas & caracoles, design motifs that have transitioned from carved stones to woven
tapestries. With our expert guide, we will learn why this ancient Zapotec and later Mixtec site was known as “The Place of the Dead”. From here, we
attend the most vibrant and colorful of markets in the region: The Sunday market at Tlacolula, where we will meet women making tlayudas and tasajo and see baskets and pottery for sale. Finally, we visit the extraordinary tapestry weaving community of Teotitlan del Valle to learn of the Zapotec
weaving traditions that formerly were done in cotton and on backstrap looms, but following the arrival of the Spaniards, transitioned to wool and
treadle looms. At the Centro de Arte Textil Zapoteco Bii Dauu, we see how natural dyes are being resurrected and used to produce brilliant hues of
blue (indigo), red (cochineal) and yellow (pericon). The silk weavers from San Pedro Cajonos will pay a visit for a demo of their silk rebozos!(B,L)
Oct. 27 Day Nine: Monday, Monte Alban, Today we enjoy a guided visit to one of the earliest urban centers of Oaxaca, Monte Alban. Here, we learn